The best password managers to keep your data safe

Your biggest online weakness is the terrible set of passwords you use. Despite billions of passwords being exposed in hacks and data breaches, the most commonly used passwords are still basic strings of numbers and words. Think: password, 123456, 12345 and so on.

Thankfully, it doesn't have to be like this. There are ways that you can have stronger, unique passwords that will be infinitely harder for hackers to compromise. The key to having a better password is a piece of software called a password manager.

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A password manager is designed to store every single password that you use in your online life – from Facebook to eBay. They can also create strong and secure passwords that are harder for hackers to simulate.

They do this by using encrypted systems that are protected by one single master password. The systems aren't infallible to hacks or bugs in their software but using a password manager is a lot more likely to keep your valuable logins secure.

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Some password advice

Before we detail our favourite password managers, it's worth taking some time to run down basic password best practices. Even though your password manager will create secure combinations and keep them safe, you still need one main login to access the manager in the first place.

First, passwords should never contain personal information: your mother's maiden name is not a good password, nor is that of your pet. Second, you shouldn't use obvious combinations: iloveyou is a predictable password that can be easily guessed. Next up, you shouldn't reuse passwords. Every password for each website or online service you use should be unique. They shouldn't ever be repeated as if one service gets hacked and you've used the same password elsewhere, it's more likely the repetition websites will be hacked too.

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LastPass

LastPass is run by the security firm LogMeIn and has more than two million daily users. It's no surprise the password manager is popular as it's incredibly easy to use. A free version of the software, which includes browser plugins, lets users access their passwords across laptops, phone, tablets and more. It will autosave and fill passwords for the websites you visit, has a password generator and multi-factor authentication. The free version gives you easy password management on desktop browsers, but you'll have to upgrade to premium at £2.33 per month for access across multiple devices, including the excellent mobile app. LastPass also offers a family tier for up to six users, which costs just $12 per year more. Click here to learn more

1Password

1Password isn't free but it does include multiple advanced features for your money. Pricing starts at $2.99 per month and offers unlimited password saves, 1GB of secure document storage, 24/7 email support and a travel mode to make sure your data is protected when moving between individual states. There's also a family mode that allows every member of a household to have a personalised account to store their details. Additionally, the firm works with security researcher Troy Hunt to scan passwords leaked in data breaches. If a compromised password is found in billions of other used passwords, you'll be prompted to update it. Click here to learn more

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Dashlane

Dashlane, like LastPass, offers a free option. For this, you can store up to 50 passwords, get the service on one device and get security alerts about compromised accounts. Where the password manager comes into its own though is the premium model – starting at $4.99 per month. This allows unlimited password storage, instant form and payment autofill but also more advanced features such as dark web monitoring and a VPN that's also included. A premium plus model offers identity theft insurance as well. Click here to learn more

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Google Chrome

Google might hoover up all your personal data to help its advertising machine but its Chrome password management system has increasingly improved in recent years. The company has been able to save your login username and passwords for websites for a few years now. But in 2018 it introduced the creation of strong and secure passwords for the websites where you create a new account. "When it’s time to create a new password, Chrome will now generate one for you (so you’re not using your puppy’s name for all of your passwords anymore)," the company said in 2018 as it rolled out the improvement. Click here to learn more here